How often do you have to buy a mag?

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I am about to purchase my first handgun and one factor in my decision is the cost of a mag. The Walther P99 mags are currently selling for over $50 a pop as are some Sigs. If a gun comes with two or three mags, how long do they usually last before you have to buy a new one? Thanks.

A good magazine should last for several thousand rounds. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut, but with all due respect and not to sound too much like a jerk, if having to buy a $50 magazine a couple of years from now is that much of an issue for you, are you sure you can afford this gun?

How about this... every week put a $1 bill in an envelope. You'll never miss it. At the end of a year, you will magically have enough money for a brand new magazine! Now if you can't afford this, I don't know how on earth you will ever be able to afford ammunition for this gun. $50 might buy you 200 rounds of cheap 9mm ammo. Even if you can find WWB's at Wal-Mart, that will still cost you $40 + tax.

A good magazine should last for several thousand rounds. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut, but with all due respect and not to sound too much like a jerk, if having to buy a $50 magazine a couple of years from now is that much of an issue for you, are you sure you can afford this gun?

How about this... every week put a $1 bill in an envelope. You'll never miss it. At the end of a year, you will magically have enough money for a brand new magazine! Now if you can't afford this, I don't know how on earth you will ever be able to afford ammunition for this gun. $50 might buy you 200 rounds of cheap 9mm ammo. Even if you can find WWB's at Wal-Mart, that will still cost you $40 + tax.

Scott

I don't think you acted like a jerk, but I do think you read too much into my question, which you answered very well in the first paragraph of your post. I can afford the gun and I can afford the mags., but on another forum, some guys were complaining about the high cost of the Walther mags, compared to other manufacturers, so I wanted to know how often, generally, should a mag be replaced. You answered my question perfectly and now I know that I do not have to be concerned with the cost of mags. I can certainly afford $50 or more every few years, even a few times a year. Thanks!

If you shoot a lot you might need to purchase replacements in a few years. Most that shoot a lot purchase several magazines. I have 5 for my M&P. 2 are reserved for carry and are used a little. 3 are for IPSC competition and practice and have handled many thousands of rounds in the past 3 years. The heavy use mags are dropped in the dirt and rocks on a routine basis without harm other than dirt. They are all going strong and will be with me for several more years.

The parts of the mags you may need to replace are springs or possibly followers. Once again it depends on the amount of use. I have yet to replace any in my M&P mags but have purchased spares.

Not all mags are created equal. I am not familiar with Walther mags but understand they are a reasonable quality and should not be a problem.

MecGar is my choice of after market mags and make many mags for Gun manufacturers.

If you shoot a lot you might need to purchase replacements in a few years. Most that shoot a lot purchase several magazines.

The parts of the mags you may need to replace are springs or possibly followers. Once again it depends on the amount of use. I have yet to replace any in my M&P mags but have purchased spares.

A couple of you have said that if you shoot a lot, you'll need to replace your mags more frequently. My question is the opposite, though. What if you don't shoot all that often? I've got a "nightstand gun" that only gets shot enough for me to stay proficient with it. The 2 mags stay loaded, one in the gun, and one beside it. Is that hard on the springs? Would a mag like that need to be replaced fairly often, or just if it shows some feeding problems?

A couple of you have said that if you shoot a lot, you'll need to replace your mags more frequently. My question is the opposite, though. What if you don't shoot all that often? I've got a "nightstand gun" that only gets shot enough for me to stay proficient with it. The 2 mags stay loaded, one in the gun, and one beside it. Is that hard on the springs? Would a mag like that need to be replaced fairly often, or just if it shows some feeding problems?

I reccomend that you run at a minimum, one box of 50 rounds through your gun every 6 months maximum. Use all magazines.

I prefer for you to train more, so as to be reasonably proficient if you ever need to use it defensively.

Dissassemble and clean the accumulated dust and lint from the mags then reload.

The mag spring will initialy settle a bit but then be stable for a long time. Flexing and releasing wire is what causes it to fatigue not just setting there.